The development of specialized performance fabrics has transformed the textile industry. The particular properties possessed by performance fabrics are often critical to the market success of the products in which the fabrics are incorporated. For example, in athletic wear, it is highly desirable for a single fabric to be light weight, breathable, and even water resistant. Alternatively, in an upholstered furniture application, durability, tactile comfort and aesthetics may be of primary importance. For textile applications such as incorporation into outdoor furniture, desirable fabrics are often resistant to UV light/radiation, water, and antimicrobial growth properties, such as bacterial growth and mold growth inhibition properties, and also provide some stretch for comfort and rigidity for durability.
Achieving any particular combination of desirable characteristics in a single performance fabric is the focus of much research and development in the textile industry. The development of synthetic and natural yarns have provided the industry with the ability to achieve many new fabrics with combinations of properties desirable for the apparel, athletic, and furnishings industries. Although the selection of yarns, both synthetic and natural, is seemingly infinite, each new yarn often presents its own limitations, which can add to the difficulty of making the desired fabric when it comes to using the new yarn in the commercial knitting or weaving processes. For that reason, selecting the proper yarn or yarns and developing the proper weaving process or knitting methods to achieve the desired complex combination of properties in a single fabric continues to be challenging.